Though Germany will not play with the trophy on the table, as they say it, Germany managed to get a lot of friends and they now have a lot better image than previously, before the World Cup. And this is for both the football team and the country.

On the day after the semi-final, the German Football Association (DFB) received more than 3,000 e-mails from 16 different countries offering hope and encouragement to the German team. Messages even arrived from countries such as the Netherlands and England, hardly bosom buddies of the Germans in footballing terms, urging the DFB to retain Klinsmann’s services.

The achievement of the California-based coach – arguably more respected outside his homeland in advance of the tournament – in guiding his men to a position among the top four in the world owed much more to his side’s attractive football than any measure of good fortune.

An editorial published in the British Daily Telegraph following England’s exit included a thoroughly surprising (and frankly uncharacteristic) call for readers to support Germany. “Just this once, however, there are better reasons to cheer for our old adversaries, the Germans.

“On the pitch, they have displayed the qualities we most admire: stoicism and pluck… Off it, they have been brilliant organisers and generous hosts. Above all, the tournament has allowed Germans to wave their flag without awkwardness. Victory might mark the belated normalisation of German patriotism.”

Even after the semi-final defeat, Germany remains festooned in black, red and gold, thanks to flags hanging from balconies, flying from cars and draped in restaurant windows, as enthusiasm for the FIFA World Cup continues unabated.

More, the tourists all leave with a sweet taste in their mouths.

Visitors to the FIFA World Cup are taking home tales of a welcoming, modern country as capable as any of staging a good party. Nigerian-born Christian Nikolay, who spent his childhood in Berlin but moved to New York in 1997, could hardly believe his eyes. “I’m both stunned and moved by the atmosphere and the friendliness,” said the 29-year-old. “It certainly wasn’t like this before.”

Steven Smith, 37, from Windsor in England, attended Italy’s match with Ghana in Hanover and Argentina against Côte d’Ivoire in Hamburg, and drew similarly positive conclusions. “It was fantastic,” he said. “I’ve been to Germany a lot on business so I was expecting it to be good but it was a lot better than I thought. Everyone, from the young lad serving beer in the stadium to the taxi driver in town, seemed to believe Germany was on show and wanted to show the world that Germany was a good country, and frankly they’ve succeeded in that.”

Source: WCoffsite